Curated OER
Four Storybook Apps to Add to Your Class Library
Young readers will love the colorful illustrations, whimsical narration, and interactive extras included in these digital tales.
Civil War Trust
Civil War Play
Raise the curtain to a class play that depicts the Civil War through both factual information and literary devices. The performance showcases the Battle of Antietam (Battle of Sharpsburg) and brings attention to women's roles,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Upton Sinclair, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harvey W. Wiley
Though Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle shocked the American public into a thorough examination of the meat-packing industry, the author was disappointed that his book's main argument—the exploitation of American immigrants—was not...
Scholastic
Voyage on the Mayflower
After completing an online activity about the Mayflower, scholars draw a picture about what they know of the Thanksgiving holiday, including a one-sentence summary. A reading of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma is...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to the Works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Middle school years can be tough. An educator's guide for the works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt introduces readers to two texts that discuss the struggles pre-teens face during middle school. Chapter-by-chapter questions and activities for two...
National Council of Teachers of English
Writing Acrostic Poems with Thematically Related Texts in the Content Areas
Scholars scour thematically aligned texts to gather a bank of words they can use in an original acrostic poem.
Curated OER
Acid Rain
Create a simulation of acid rain in your classroom with lemon juice and bean plants to help kids study the effects of pollution on plants. In addition, learners will listen to a story and write responses based on guiding questions.
Library of Congress
After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans in the South
Lynchings, race riots, and Jim Crow laws were just a few examples of antagonism that African Americans faced after Emancipation. Class groups investigate these and other events, and prepare a presentation to inform the class about...
Middle Tennessee State University
John Brown: Hero or Villain?
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a lesson that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source documents,...
National Geographic
Animal Habitats
Explore animal habitats and reinforce speaking, listening, reading comprehension, and writing skills with a unit that focuses on the Arctic, desert, ocean, prairie, and rainforest. Enthusiastic scientists read informational text to...
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Anne Frank: Facing Hatred, Daring to Dream
The stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White illustrate the power of children to make a difference. The three lesson in this must-have resource are designed to inspire young people to make a difference in their world....
Curated OER
What Makes a Hero?
Here is a well-designed lesson inviting learners to consider the qualities of a hero. They describe the lives and deeds of national, state, and/or local heroes. This is a thoughtful lesson, which is part of a sequential group on heroes....
Curated OER
"Their Eyes Were Watching God": Folk Speech and Figurative Language
Using or considering using Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God? Then this packet is a must for your curriculum library. The examination of how Hurston combines folklore and folk language to create the voice of her...
Mr. Nussbaum
Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 3)
How did Abraham Lincoln begin to change the minds of American citizens? Join him in his quest with a reading passage about Lincoln's experiences as a congressman and public denouncement of slavery. The resource contains reading...
Curated OER
More Amazing Americans: A WebQuest
Students research amazing Americans using America's Library. In this American heroes lesson plan, students identify criteria for amazing Americans. Students copy and paste text and graphics from websites to use in their own documents....
Curated OER
Studying the African Immigration Lesson Plan
Learners read a narrative, conduct an interview and write an autobiographical piece highlighting their findings about an immigrant's experience leaving their country.
Curated OER
Tomas and the Library Lady
Young scholars practice read aloud comprehension strategies. In this literacy comprehension instructional activity, students listen to Tomas and the Library Lady, stopping to discuss with a partner aspects of the story suggested by the...
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in the American south during the depression era as they read Harper Lee's To Kill a...
Curated OER
Fishing for Facts!
First graders visit the library or media center to research sea creatures using encyclopedia. They find two facts and research the Internet to find a picture of the sea creature. They create a class sea creature booklet.
Curated OER
Different! Diverse! Dynamic! Lesson 2: Teaching Peace Through Literature And Song
Students investigate bullying and discrimination and draw pictures of a personal response to being bullied. They read Thank You, Mr. Falkner by Patricia Polacco, to determine the philosophic act that the main character performs. They...
Curated OER
Searching the World Wide Web for Rudy Autio
Middle schoolers research Rudy Autio. In this research lesson students maneuver through the Internet to better understand the artist Rudy Autio. They examine his background, educational experiences, art production, influences, and style.
Curated OER
Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo. The lesson plan can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural...
Curated OER
A is for Area, B is for Billion
Students interact with math terminology in preparation for standardized assessment. In this math terminology and online storybook instructional activity, students create their own booklets of math terms based on each letter of the...
Curated OER
Modesto City Schools Library Lesson Plan
Students read and understand a variety of genres in a library setting. In this library activity lesson, students act as detectives and use clues in text and pictures to hypothesize the title of the missing book for the library reading...